“He who lives by the crystal ball will eat shattered glass”

Neither seer skill nor mathematical acuity are very important for market success

The quip in my column title was authored by Ray Dalio, a highly successful hedge fund manager, founder of Bridgewater Associates and successful author. I am writing near the end of a tumultuous year for a publication date early in what will hopefully become a year when life and the markets return to some level […] Read more

Garry and Geri Johnson have been using organic farming practices on their farm near Swift Current, Sask., for more than 20 years.

Organic farming veteran offers some truth and tips

Thinking of going organic? Back up a little

There are a number of reasons why farmers might want to try their hand at organic farming. Reports of premiums based on the demand for organic foods might be one. Cutting expensive chemical inputs out of your budget can also be a major incentive. However, if you’re only looking at organic farming through a financial […] Read more


Rather than a loop system, South West Terminal in Saskatchewan installed three parallel tracks for the siding at its elevator. Each is 8,500 feet long.

Smaller cars, more capacity to help move grain

Who knew they even made a three-mile-long train?

Everyone is impressed this year with improved grain handling efficiency across Western Canada and that is a good thing. In some recent years with bottlenecks and mysterious delays in grain movement, it was almost like the rail companies were surprised Western Canada had grain and other commodities that needed to be moved to export position. […] Read more

Rebate roundup 2021

Rebate roundup 2021

Program details to maximize your input dollars and put cash back in your pocket

Once again, it’s time for the Grainews annual rebate roundup. While rebate programs aren’t the main factor in decision-making for the crop protection process, producers need to know their options. Without further ado, and in alphabetical order, here’s our annual roundup of available rebates in Western Canada for the 2021 growing season. BASF The 2021 […] Read more


A promotional photo of Ford’s 2021 F-150 Raptor. (Media.ford.com)

Ford cuts output of F-150s due to semiconductor shortage

U.S. firm among manufacturers caught off guard

Washington | Reuters — Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it is cutting shifts at two U.S. plants that build its highly profitable flagship F-150 pickup trucks starting next week due to a global shortage of semiconductor chips, raising fears the problem could be worsening. The No. 2 U.S. automaker said it will run one of […] Read more

New herbicides for 2021

New herbicides for 2021

New and improved products and formulations from BASF, UPL AgroSolutions, Nufarm, FMC Canada and Corteva

Farmers face increasing pressure every year from existing and emerging weeds, as well as increasing issues with weed resistance. Agricultural companies are constantly developing and launching new and improved products and formulations to try and stay ahead of the curve. The following is a synopsis of the new herbicide products from BASF, UPL AgroSolutions, Nufarm, […] Read more


Weed-it is a modular precision-spraying system, which means the number of detection sensors required for your farm size can be fit to your sprayer. Detection sensors are spaced 40 inches apart and individually control four solenoids with a nozzle spacing of 10 inches.

New spot-spray technology in Canada

Weed-it can potentially save you money

Precision field-spraying technology developed in Europe and licensed to a well-established distributor in Australia is now available to farmers across Canada, with the promise to help reduce herbicide costs and perhaps equally, or more importantly, help farmers afford the fight against herbicide-resistant weeds. Weed-it, billed as the “world’s best-selling” camera-based, precision-spraying technology, has been demonstrated […] Read more



This full-season cover crop, which ended up being mostly oats and volunteer mustard, provided excellent summer pasture for cow-calf pairs under a strip grazing system.

No such thing as failure, it’s all a learning experience

Plans are good in theory, but moisture is needed to really see what works

When Josh Beck describes some of the practices he’s tried in a bid to incorporate regenerative agriculture practices on his southern Alberta farm, you’ll probably hear him say a few times, “Everything was looking really good early in the growing season … and then it turned dry.” Lack of growing season moisture is not only […] Read more